Several West teams jockeying for any edge

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol of Spain yells after drawing a foul while playing the Orlando Magic during first-half NBA basketball action against the Orlando Magic in Orlando, Florida February 8, 2008. REUTERS/Kevin Kolczynski (UNITED STATES) less

Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol of Spain yells after drawing a foul while playing the Orlando Magic during first-half NBA basketball action against the Orlando Magic in Orlando, Florida February 8, 2008. ... more

Photo: KEVIN KOLCZYNSKI

Several West teams jockeying for any edge

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As if the Suns and Warriors weren't already joined at the hip by their run-and-gun ways, the last two weeks have linked the Western Conference duo in mind, body and spirit.

Both teams are trying to work seemingly miscast big men (see Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Webber) into their small-ball-heavy lineups. Both insist that their aging newcomers won't slow their up-tempo style.

Both are essentially reloading for what they hope will be a riveting run into and through the Western Conference playoffs. And if they can improve while parting with unhappy players (see Shawn Marion and, possibly, Mickael Pietrus), then all the better.

"It's so competitive right now, any edge you can get, you got to look at," Warriors vice president Chris Mullin said Tuesday. "Everything is so bunched up."

Velcro-tight is more like it. Phoenix sits atop the conference with its 36-15 mark heading into tonight's matchup at Oracle Arena, but the eighth-place Warriors and Rockets (31-20) are only five games behind.

Simply making the playoffs in the West, much less advancing, will be a chore this season. That's why the Warriors added Webber, the Jazz traded for Kyle Korver, the Lakers stole Pau Gasol and the Suns gambled that Shaq - who is not expected to play tonight - can push them over the top.

In Golden State's view, Webber doesn't have much lift in his legs, but his passing skills are first-rate. In Phoenix's mind, Shaq can't keep pace with the fastbreak, but he has the inside game to counter big men such as Tim Duncan and Carlos Boozer.

And for all the outside belief that the vaunted run-and-gun offense used by the Suns and Warriors has met a premature end, Mullin believes the perception is just that - premature.

"It really becomes more of a deal, like C-Webb here, of how the other players maintain their play or even pick it up," Mullin said. "It's probably as much to do with how or what they add to the team as opposed to how they're going to change the team."

"The only thing that would screw up (Phoenix) is if somehow Shaq wants to get the ball all the time, slow the team down," Warriors coach Don Nelson added. "But I've been watching all the interviews and he's absolutely perfect with his approach, so I think it's going to work."

What wasn't working, the Suns acknowledge, was their team chemistry with Marion on board, which is part of the reason why they shipped the disgruntled four-time All-Star to Miami for O'Neal.

The Warriors have their own malcontent in Pietrus, who reiterated his agent's statements to The Chronicle over the weekend that his client wants a new home before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

In fact, Pietrus on Tuesday sounded a little like Marion did at the beginning of the season in repeating the "I want to be traded" or "It's time to move on" mantra despite being a part of a successful team.

"It's a tough situation because you're having fun winning, but at the same time, you're not happy with your play or your total feeling toward the team," Baron Davis said of Pietrus' stand-off. "Sometimes, it's just time to move on. Sometimes, things don't fit all the time."

Briefly: Mullin refuted a claim made by Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, that a trade was close to happening last week. The bottom line is that the Warriors' stance remains unchanged. "If we get a player for him, we'll trade him and if we can't, he's going to stay here," Nelson said.